Part 83, page 144

Transcript

The scan is the source; the transcript is machine-generated from it.

[letterhead or return address area - partially illegible, appears to show a name/address]

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DEAR SIR, [REDACTED] IS DEAD. "D.B. COOPER" PASSED AWAY ON SEPT 12th TOGETHER WE BOTH PLANNED THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SKYJACKING TO DATE. WHILE HE WAS ALIVE, [REDACTED] REFUSED TO LET ME TELL THE PUBLIC THAT HE WASN'T REALLY BAD. HE DIED WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE THINKING HE WAS JUST ANOTHER 'SKYJACKING TERRORIST.' BUT HE WASN'T. TO ME, AND THOSE [WHO] [guess: WOULD KNOW] HIM, HE WAS NOT 'A RUTHLESS CRIMINAL.' HE WAS A KIND AND GENTLE HUMAN BEING. HE LOVED LIFE AND EVERYTHING ABOUT IT. WHEN HE FOUND OUT THAT HE HAD [guess: BUT MONTHS] TO LIVE, HE FACED THE NEWS VERY BRAVELY. [guess: THOUGH] DID NO GOOD. WHAT COULD I SAY? JUST TWO YEARS BEFORE, HE LOST HIS WIFE AND DAUGHTER. I COULD SENSE A CHANGE COMING OVER HIM. HE WAS FACED WITH DEATH, BUT SOME- THING ELSE WAS ON HIS MIND. WHEN HE FIRST TOLD ME ABOUT THE [guess: JOB], I THOUGHT HE WAS JOKING. HE WASN'T. AFTER ALL, HE HAD NOTHING TO LOSE AND [guess: PLENTY] TO GAIN. HOWEVER, MONEY WASN'T THE OBJECT. [REDACTED] KNEW THAT HE COULD DEMAND ALMOST ANY AMOUNT AND HE'D PROBABLY GET IT. IN FACT, WE GAVE ALMOST $168,000 OF THE RANSOM MONEY AWAY TO CHARITIES AND FAMILIES IN NEED. HE PAID OFF ALL OF [REDACTED] HOSPITAL BILLS AND GAVE [REDACTED] HE TOLD WE MADE IT. BIG [guess: CO. IN] CANADA LAST YEAR, BUT I'M SURE [REDACTED] GUESSED THE TRUTH. [REDACTED] NEVER SAID [guess: NOTHING] ONE WAS OR THE OTHER. "D.B. COOPER" DIED THINKING THAT [REDACTED] BELIEVED HIM.

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DB Cooper-36546

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